Hatice O, head of Denizbank’s Bornova branch, made the remarks during a chat with journalists in Hamburg, responding to a question about the charges of “qualified fraud” and “embezzlement” levelled against him.
Hakan Ateş recalled that more than 90 percent of the employees of TalyşBank, which was acquired in 2002, continued to work there, and that Hatice O was also an employee of TalyşBank.
Ateş said he learned Hatice O said “she and her mother were in debt due to health problems”, adding:
“We are following the news on the case in question here. In our investigation so far, the bank still has no records of any withdrawals. Is this a bank transaction? Our inspection committee is investigating this together with the prosecutor’s office” We carried out a similar investigation in the previous case (the Cecil Elzan case) and as a result we notified the prosecutor’s office and the financial police. In the first 2-3 hours of investigation we found no records of money given by the accuser or of any debts, so we knew this was a pyramid scheme. BRSA, the prosecutor’s office and experts confirmed us.
Hatice Ö., Head of Denizbank Bornova Branch
“The figures and claims reflected on social media are entirely imaginary.”
As this case is currently under investigation, it is not yet possible to determine whether it is a case of fraud or embezzlement. However, we can say that the figures and claims reflected on social media are completely imaginary. There is a big difference between the figures communicated to us by our inspection committee and the figures in the news in question. Again, there is no link to the company officials named, and this is also understood to be fabricated. “We believe the investigation will be completed by the beginning of next week.”
Ateş explained that cases of embezzlement and fraud occur all over the world, and banks pay millions of dollars in premiums to take out insurance to insure against such losses.
“Tests are becoming more frequent.”
Hakan Ateş said inspections at branches could be carried out once a year, and in some branches once every two years, noting that such incidents had also occurred at other banks.
Hakan Ateş, General Manager, Denizbank
“We have become a bit of a scapegoat. Similar transactions at many banks go unreported, but the smallest developments concerning us are interestingly featured on social media,” Ateş said.
Ateş said the branch manager does not receive money from his pocket anywhere in the world and that the branch manager does not have such authority. “After the last incident, bank audits became more frequent. As a result, cases of possible fraudulent conduct by the branch manager have emerged,” he said. “One after another, things that may occur in the future have come to light, but we do not yet know what they are. We have been informed that we have notified the prosecutor’s office and that an investigation is underway. The branch manager is currently hospitalized,” he said.
